1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to aids for polishing and decorating artificial fingernails and, more specifically, to a kit for holding and manipulating artificial fingernails while being polished and decorated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Artificial fingernails are widely used by women to improve the, appearance of their fingernails. With artificial fingernails, a woman is able to easily cover natural fingernails that may be cracked, chipped or uneven, with a set of fingernails of uniformed length that appear both polished and professionally manicured. Typically, artificial fingernails are constructed of a synthetic material that mimics the appearance and feel of natural fingernails, and are secured over a woman""s natural fingernails via an adhesive.
Often nail polish, decals or other decorations are applied to artificial fingernails after they have been secured over natural fingernails. Unfortunately, however, once artificial fingernails have been secured in place, applying nail polish or other decorations can be messy, awkward and time-consuming. Nail polish is often spilled or painted onto fingers; applying polish to fingernails on the dominant hand requires use of the non-dominant hand; and time is required to both apply nail polish and to allow the polish to dry.
Consequently, a means for decorating artificial fingernails before they are secured in place, is desirable. Such a means would allow a woman to decorate artificial fingernails in advance of their use; to apply nail polish and other decorations with more precision; and to avoid being incapacitated while nails are drying.
Although the prior art does not teach such a means, it does teach a variety of aids for applying nail polish to fingernails on a person, and a variety of means for packaging and transferring artificial fingernails.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,162,155, 2,234,657 and 2,262,977 to, respectfully, Calvin, Smaldone and Vasil provide examples in the prior art of aids for applying nail polish to fingernails. These patents teach devices used for stenciling or masking fingernails that allow a user to apply polish to select areas of a fingernail and to avoid applying polish to areas of the fingers near a fingernail. However, while these devices aid in the decoration of a fingernail on a person, they are not useful for decorating a set of artificial fingernails prior to being secure over a person""s own fingernails.
Examples in the prior art of devices for transferring artificial fingernails are provided by U.K. Pat. No. GB2,111,431A to Spackman and by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,633,139 and 2,746,460 to, respectfully, Pettey and Jellinek. Each of these patents teaches a carrier sheet on which a set of artificial fingernails is arranged. The artificial fingernails are peeled from the carrier sheet and applied to a user""s own fingernails. Although these devices may be helpful for transferring a set of artificial fingernails to a user""s own nails, the devices do not facilitate holding and manipulating individual artificial fingernails while being polished, nor do they protect polished fingernails prior to application.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,551 to Bartolucci teaches a kit fabricated by injection molding in which artificial fingernails are attached to a frame via a stem. The artificial fingernails are removed from the kit by breaking the stem. However, once removed from the kit, the artificial fingernail cannot be reattached to it. Hence, as with the devices taught by Spackman, Pettey and Jellinek, this device does not facilitate holding and manipulating individual artificial fingernails while being polished.
Consequently, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Therefore, a nail designer kit solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The present invention is a nail designer kit comprising a container and a plurality of design sticks on which artificial fingernails are mounted. Each stick can be slidably removed from and replaced in the container, and holds up to two artificial fingernails. When removed from the container, each stick can be easily handled and manipulated to facilitate applying nail polish and other decorations to an artificial fingernail mounted thereto. Once the artificial fingernail has been polished, the stick can be returned to the container while the fingernail dries.
Accordingly, it is a principle object of the invention to provide a device that allows an individual to easily handle and manipulate artificial fingernails, thereby facilitating polishing of artificial fingernails in a manner that is simple and error free, yet in a manner that results in polished fingernails that appear professionally prepared. Hence, it is a principle object of the invention to allow an individual to save both time and money by adeptly preparing her own artificial fingernails as opposed to having them prepared by a salon professional.
It is another object of the invention to allow artificial fingernails to be polished before being affixed to an individual""s own fingernails, thereby allowing the polishing of an individual""s fingernails when most convenient to the individual.
It is a further object of the invention to allow for drying of polished artificial fingernails before being affixed to an individual""s own fingernails, thereby allowing an individual to perform normal activities without the worry of marring freshly polished nails.
Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.